Short film programming that is diverse, thought-provoking and creative
Manipulate Festival is one of Edinburgh’s smaller, more niche arts festivals that fits nicely into the calendar to brighten up a dreary February. Now in its 18th edition, the festival programmes across animated video, puppetry and visual theatre, with an eclectic mix of disciplines encouraging cultural conversations across genre and medium. This was the first year I had the chance to enjoy their eclectic animation programming across two strands, and was excited to see how their film programming compared to their fun, quirky theatrical performances.
International Shorts: On the Edge
First up was On the Edge, a strand co-curated by Take One Action Festival (a Scottish film festival focused on awareness and discussion of the climate crisis), with an emphasis on experience of climate change of indigenous communities in the Arctic north, since these communities are often those that are struck by the effects of climate change quickest and with the most impact on their day-to-day lives.
The films ranged from the epic journey of anthropomorphic salmon avoiding the perils of overfishing to finish their life cycle (Wild Summon, UK), to a tender portrait of Inuit life using archive footage and traditional throat singing (Three Thousand, Canada). The best films of the bunch were those which highlighted certain aspects of climate change that don’t usually make it to the front of the conversation – such as STAMNÄTET (Norway), which discussed the impact of the green economy on local communities in the north whose land is disrupted for new green power, but who don’t see any economic benefit from these practices.
Although the films leant towards the negative impact of climate change and therefore leaned more gloomy than uplifting, there were great moments of humour and levity. Glenn, The Great Nature Lover (Sweden) was a very funny satirical film about a couple who love an idyllic nature spot so much that they destroy it, put in a mansion, and decorate it with the heads of the animals who lived there previously. Okay, it doesn’t sound funny when I put it like that, but it was great!
A really brillian aspect of this screening was the Q&A afterwards, with Dr Isabelle Gapp (who studies art history, particularly landscapes of the Arctic north historically and in the modern day) and Dr Sian Henley (a scientist of Marine Sciences). The discussion let us look beyond the individual stories of each film and look at the climate crisis as a whole, how we can learn and raise awareness through art and work towards a greener future. As a Gen Z person whose generation is consumed by a doomer mindset towards the climate, it was refreshing and uplifting to hear these women talk about positive changes happening in the world and how we still have time to make a difference.
International Shorts: Queer Stories
Queer Stories placed trans rights front and centre in their strand (co-curated by Sanctuary Queer Arts), which is wonderful to see in the current climate. The stories ranged from the heartfelt, like Récit de Soi (France), a trans man discussing how Celine Sciamma’s Tomboy helped him to come to terms with his identity, to the weird and wonderful like Purpleboy (Portugal), a trippy exploration of a child planted and watered by their parents, making their way through a colourful wonderland to realise their gender.
The programme really shines with queer joy when it gets really silly with it, which isn’t surprising. Highlights include Coming Out (USA) – I never thought I would be almost in tears watching Godzilla affirming their child’s transition – and Blush: An Extraordinary Voyage (Finland) – where a space age adventure follows a real-life conversation about the first trip to the shops in makeup. Each story had such a strong personal connection that was beautiful to experience, while also making us laugh ourselves silly.
Like the On The Edge strand, the programming was bold in encouraging perspectives of queer life that don’t fit with the mainstream perception of LGBT+ identity, particularly in the film I Love Hooligans (Netherlands, Belgium). This explored the story of a football hooligan who is gay, but will never admit it because he loves his football team (and the violence they do in support of it) too much to ever put his safety at risk. The subject was shockingly honest and open about his sexuality, despite being intensely closeted and homophobic among his fellow fans. The dichotomy created something sharp and hard to sit with, which is a sure sign that the programme has hit on something important.
Manipulate’s animation programming exemplifies how to be diverse and make a statement, while still creating strands that are entertaining and powerful and overall fun to watch. It was stirring, hilarious, sombre, and thought-provoking. There is exceptional taste and care in the selection, and they tell stories in the programme as well as within the films themselves. I could not recommend this festival more and I look forward to their next edition.